“Nothing is going to happen. I’m just going out with my sisters to have a good time. Stop treating me like I am that same coke whore you met ten years ago. I haven’t danced in years, and I have no desire to. You of all people should know that.” Red was pissed, but she was hurt too.
“Baby,” Regg said, regret filling his voice. He knew he had cut her deep. Apparently this was a recurring thing with these two. Regg didn’t have time to finish what he was saying before Red stomped out of the room and toward the back, leaving him trudging behind her like a whooped puppy.
“I tried to tell him,” Luke said, shaking his head still eyeing the papers on the bar.
“Red misses dancing,” Maddie said, from beside me. “She loved to dance and Regg has been known to make her feel like shit about it. The problem with Red is that she gets lost in the moment and Regg is afraid that she will relapse like-”
“Shut up, Maddie. That’s not your story to tell,” Marty said, standing before us, and glaring at Maddie.
“What? That’s her sister. She can know,” Maddie said in defense.
“If Red wants her to know she will tell her. You need to keep your fucking mouth shut.” I had never seen Marty be so demanding. It was kinda sexy and he was hella scary, causing me to shrink at his words, and they were not even directed at me.
“You are such a fucking asshole,” Maddie said to him, and again I felt as if her words were referring to another time and another place. There was so much malice in her voice that there was no mistaking her anger. She was not joking, and everyone knew it.
“Maddie!” Luke roared from across the room. Maddie’s face turned ashen, as Luke stalked toward us. Oh fuck. Maddie had screwed up this time. Red could talk to Regg that way, because he was her husband. I could talk to Luke that way, because he was my lover, but Maddie and Marty were nothing, as far as Luke knew. Here she was, a little sister to the club, being disrespectful to a patch-holder. “What the fuck is your problem? Don’t you ever speak to another member of this club like that again.” Luke was so mad he was shaking. His finger was in Maddie’s face, and although I felt the need to protect her, I remained quiet. This was the LLC they had warned me about-the one who didn’t tolerate bullshit or disrespect from any bitch when it came to his brothers or his club. As bad as I felt for Maddie, I felt even worse for Marty who stood behind Luke wanting so bad to say something, but couldn’t. Or I thought he couldn’t.
“Luke, that’s enough brother,” he said to him, his voice coming out strong and confident. Maddie and I both nearly died at the exchange.
“No, it’s not enough. She fucking knows better,” Luke seethed, still keeping his eyes on Maddie. “Maddie, I’m warning you,” Luke started, but stopped as his eyes fell to the hand on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to rein in his anger. “Marty.”
“Luke,” Marty said, cutting Luke off once again. If a banner had fallen from the sky along with a stream of confetti and balloons, Luke wouldn’t have gotten the message any clearer. When the realization of what was going on slapped him in the face, I lost my ability to breathe. Luke’s eyes darkened and he turned ferocious. He walked away from Maddie, shrugging off Marty’s hand as he left. The nearest thing that wasn’t nailed down was the round table we had played cards at. Luke grabbed it with his hands, slinging it across the room, with a deafening snarl. I jumped, as the table clattered to the floor, leaving Luke in search of something else to throw. Next came chairs, which he sent flying across the room, yelling and cursing, before turning back to face Marty who now stood between us and Luke. Regg came running into the room, assessing the situation and staying neutral, but I knew when he found out what was going on, he would side with Luke.
“How long?” Luke growled, shooting daggers at Marty. I held my breath, praying that Marty would think of a good lie to save him.
“Long enough,” Marty replied, without the slightest hint of worry or regret in his voice. I felt Maddie melt next to me, and I was sure if I looked at her, she would just be a big pile of mush.
“Did you not think that was something I would want to know?” Luke asked, his voice thick with sarcasm.
“With all due respect Luke, it’s none of your business who I see,” Marty replied. Regg jerked his head to Marty, in surprise.